Spain now is reliant as ever on home grown academy players, every team in the world has the same chance yet people keep asking why do Spain keep doing it? I guess the obvious answer is we have too their is no alternative, with teams like Sociedad cant afford to go spending so they rely on academy players and it is paying off in a big way. Inigo Martinez is regarded as one of Spain’s brightest players he isnt the flashy David Silva type nor the rampaging Gerard Pique type he is just what the world calls a proper defender.
He reads the game exceptionally well, is strong and determined and is part of winning youth teams including the recent one this year at u21 level. The question is had Sociedad been big spenders he may have slipped through the gaps and into obscurity. The exciting future in Spain is now, all of Spain has latched onto the simple idea, find, nurture and trust your academy players as the rewards can surpass the richest clubs.
We are all aware of what Spain has achieved and the players produced from Xavi to Raul, and Casillas to Torres and everything in between however more clubs are providing outstanding potential so here are some names to watch for in the future.
Name : Inigo Martinez Age : 22 Club : Real Sociedad
Some say the next big thing in Spain Inigo Martinez has already proven to be a valued member of his club team. Won his first cap of many a few weeks ago and starred in the recent u21 success for the Spanish team a reliable defender who can only get better.
Name : Martin Montoya Age : 22 Club : Barcelona
Spain have always longed for good fullbacks and now there is a huge arrival of potential first team players, Montoya suffers most as he isnt really the all out attacking full back he is much more well balanced which is actually a good thing as he tries to replace Dani Alves.
Name : Ignacio Camacho Age : 23 Club : Malaga
For me it feels like he has been around forever! Which show his talent as his debut was aged 17 and he is set to shine at troubled Malaga if he can stay injury free. Another who relies more on hard work than skill and one who will make an impact in the future.
Name : Alvaro Morata Age : 20 Club : Real Madrid
As a Barca fan it hurts me to say I feel Morata is the best young Spanish player at the moment and the one with the most potential. Is almost the next Raul waiting to happen but with extra height and power, his scoring record at all levels is very impressive a certain star.
Name : Alberto Moreno Age : 21 Club : Sevilla
So for those outside of Spain or those unfamiliar may never have heard of this emerging talent, homegrown through the excellent Sevilla academy is another full back. For years left back has been a problem for Spain and now we seem to be very strong another who starred in the u21 success.
Name : Hugo Mallo Age : 22 Club : Celta Vigo
A serious cruciate injury robbed us of Mallo last season but is still a player who has made over 100 appearances for his club Celta and again one people may not be to familiar with. Is another defender at right back with pace and power and that extra quality which means is one for the future.
Name : Koke Age : 21 Club : Atletico Madrid
I cant really express my admiration of this player is almost the vision of Xavi with the pace and power to also help the defense, intelligent, aggressive and hardworking with that clinical pass and appreciation of others around him is very likely to be the next great midfielder in the Spain national team.
Name : Ruben Garcia Age : 20 Club : Levante
Probably a player most have never seen or as he plays for little Levante but is one of their prized assets after an excellent first season following his promotion from the Levante B team. Capped at u20 level seems set to work his way up to the very top a very exciting right midfield player.
Name : Alvaro Vadillo Age : 18 Club : Real Betis
Once again a talent from a club you wouldn’t expect this time is Real Betis another who has suffered with cruciate injuries but looks such a talent at only 18 years old. Is much more a traditional Spanish wide player like Silva or Mata a regular in the youth teams and one to keep an eye on in the future.
Name : Daniel Carvajal Age : 21 Club : Real Madrid
I think people often forget how strong the Real Madrid academy is and Carvajal is an example sold and bought back is set to be a regular this season.
Special Mentions!
In truth this discussion on players happened with my boyfriend when we were chatting over dinner one day, he is half English and half American so is drawn mostly to English football and the national team and he complained how inferior English players seem to be to Spaniards. He asked me who I thought was the future of Spain and he compared to what he thought the English future would be which was the main inspiration for this post as he wished he could be Spanish!
I made a list as I often do but their are just so many names I have, the list could be several pages long! I picked out who I thought were the very best and tried to stay away fro the obvious but I can mention some of the extra names here.
First is obviously Isco who joined Real Madrid from Malaga and at 21 is probably the most exciting young Spaniard around alongside Thiago Alcantara who swapped Barca for Bayern Munich another young player at 22 but both are very well known. Alvaro Vazquez from Espanyol is set for a bright future coming through their academy aged 22 now and on loan in ‘New Spain’ in England which is Swansea who have a few Spanish players around!
Pablo Sarabia is up next and yet another from the Real Madrid youth set-up but signed by Getafe with a buy back available, alongside Jese who remains at Madrid for now but is another set for a move to help progress his very talented future.
Paco Alcacer likened to a young David Villa came through the youth at Valencia scoring so freely for the Valencia B team but a mixed season on loan at Getafe but is really one to keep an eye on, Oliver Torres from Atletico is looking very exciting for an 18 year old alongside Gerard Deulofeu from Barca but on loan in England at Everton who will see a glimpse of the potential.
I cant forget the brilliant Iker Muniain who is one again seems to be around forever but is only 20 but he did make his La Liga debut at 16 from Bilbao obviously! Juan Bernat at Valencia is a real talent Denis Suarez another at Barca (originally Celta) is a very promising 19 year old attack minded midfielder and another who looks like a star for the future.
Back to Bilbao and a mention to Jon Aurtenetxe on loan at Celta a 21 year old fullback and other with massive potential, Manu Trigueros at Villarreal is another excellent young player at 20 years old along with countless others I haven’t mentioned!
I have only included Spanish players in Spanish academies and non-foreign based players if I did I would be here for months! (Hence why no Griezmann!) to highlight my point that although our country is in debt and the future for so many looks bleak, and our league is unfairly balanced we do have have reasons for optimism and hope.
Our youth structure is probably amongst the best in the world and I know I have probably missed loads more players but I have to end this post sometime! Money may be key for some but in Spain for now we are back to basics, building our own future and every team in La Liga is now involved.
Our youth teams are some of the best around and we have the talent to maybe even surpass what we posses now, I am proud of my country and proud of my team I guess in an ironic way without all the players being sold and lack of money 50% or more of these players would simply slip through the ranks and now we see the real quality of our league from our youth, Spanish legends like Xavi, Villa, Casillas and Puyol might be getting to retirement age but we are not concerned as we see what the future will hold, we see the future of our youth.
We are setting a blueprint for others to follow money may be the quickest way to get success but it isn’t always the best way, it will take time but the foundations are now laid and I expect even more Spanish talent to come through.
¡Viva España!
Jack
8 сентября, 2013 at 19:51
Nice article Ana, there are lots of quality young Spanish footballers coming through, and the national team’s success are both big positives for Spanish football at the moment, even if some clubs don’t have too much money, so it isn’t all doom and gloom :)
Ana Garcia
9 сентября, 2013 at 19:20
Hi Jack and thanks. :)
Agreed, I guess the big question is the lack of money in Spain responsible for our very strong national teams but all I know is there is an incredible amount of Spanish talent on the way is exciting times I think!
pedro roriz
9 сентября, 2013 at 00:24
i hope the best for spain, ana. it is nice to see another country developing on youth.
a warning, though. here in brazil, we were used to success for many years as our youth output is also really special. however, we are finding it increasingly hard to develop players in the same quality as our recent legends, like ronaldo, roberto carlos, rivaldo, ronaldinho, rai, taffarel, cafu, etc. That difficulty is expected because those players were simply out of this word.
i fear spain may struggle to find another pair like xavi and iniesta, for instance. fabregas and busquets are really good players, but ther are just that. they are not legends as the other two. finding casillas was superb because he kept the worldclass level of canizares and zubizarreta, but if it wasn’t for him, the next best choice would have been reina, or valdes. and they are only good. the same for the `monster` puyol. or villa, for that matter.
what i’m trying to say is that even though spain’s youth is indeed really good, i fear that keeping the incredible level of this generation is something beyond their potential. just like it happend with brazil.
our sad tendency starts with producing the likes of bebeto, romario, rai, careca, ronaldo and rivaldo in 10 years, for later on getting to kaka and ronaldinho. after that, it took us many many years to have a neymar. quality just wasn’t that easy to find anymore.
Ana Garcia
9 сентября, 2013 at 19:30
Hi Pedro good to hear from you. :)
Oh, I no the troubles once you start producing top players then suddenly every player is rated against that and their can and will be a decline in quality.
I guess the big difference is that Spain success is also being built from u17 right to the very top so players are used to winning but to comparison we had Mendieta now we have Xavi, we had Hierro now is Puyol before was Raul now is Villa so it wasnt that we had bad players just bad attitude.
Is exciting to see if Koke can be the next Xavi or if Inigo can get to Puyol level but I do agree their has to be a decline as Brazil is a much larger population than Spain so if Brazil declined Spain will also.
Johnny Karp
9 сентября, 2013 at 07:17
Great post Ana, Spain never lacked young talent so the national team is pretty safe in my view, no worries there. How the clubs develop is a different story though. By the way, I think Thiago Alcantara is the brightest prospect, if he stays clear of injuries he has what it takes to become a superstar.
Ana Garcia
9 сентября, 2013 at 19:37
Thanks Johnny. :)
Is true we have always produced excellent players but now is from the whole league so the future is very exciting. With so many potential stars is difficult to pick just one!
I chose Morata as I feel he reminds me of a young Raul but is stronger and more well built for the modern game, but Isco and Thiago are the next big stars in Spain.
Sebbero
9 сентября, 2013 at 13:56
This was good read. They seem to be benefiting from good amount of young players coming through which is good to see but way managing players to setup to senior team is good as well and one issue with England is soon players picked for Senior team they become unavailable for under 21s which is wrong as chamberlain would be better of going under 21s tournament then playing 20 minutes against Brazil earlier this year. Hopefully England turn corner a bit and manager will pick players from other clubs that are performing well now that Lambert has made impression.
Ana Garcia
9 сентября, 2013 at 19:43
Thank you am glad you enjoyed it. :)
I guess Spain and England are the mirror opposite for now, we are more focused on building our teams from our academies and England are used to buying in mostly foreign players to improve.
I guess England can learn a little from Spain but is more attitude, I find English teams want success quickly yet our system was introduced for over ten years before the first victory in 2008.
Ryan Daly
9 сентября, 2013 at 17:02
I love how people say the end is near for Spain with Xavi close to retirement and Iniesta on his way out of his prime but when those 2 go you have Oliver Torres, Isco, Suarez, Thiago and Koke who could easily fit in as replacements.
I actually believe the Spain team for the 2016 Euros will be equally as good, if not better than the current lot. I think Isco could even be a starter next year, he is just too good. Thiago is absolutely phenomenal too. I could be here for hours if I started admiring all these young Spaniards, its incredible
Ana Garcia
9 сентября, 2013 at 19:52
Hi Ryan. :)
I agree! I guess when one side is winning most things they always look for a way to bring that team down by saying when Villa goes and Xavi and Puyol, Spain wont be as good but like you said there are many payers on the way up not just one or two but five or six players in each position some you didnt mention like illarramendi, Ruben Pardo, Sergi Robeto, Sarabia, Saul, I could have used ten or eleven pages for players! :)
I share the same idea and I have said I feel we will have an even better squad in Brazil and the following Euro’s than the previous ones I honestly dont know how it has happened the amount is amazing but also I think is more down to the set-up not just luck clubs deserve a massive amount of praise for what they are achieving also.
pedro roriz
9 сентября, 2013 at 20:15
I completely agree with that. Small and medium sized clubs are to be praised for youth development. I guess barcelona too.
I just consider both xavi and iniesta, for instance, as out of this world. For me, pirlo would have to improve considerably to get to xavi’s level, for example. And so would fabregas, when compared to iniesta. Replacing those two and finding a worldclass striker (raul’s level) will be tough.
Ana Garcia
16 сентября, 2013 at 11:12
Is true that Xavi and Iniesta are amazing players and the chemistry between the two will never be replaced in my view. Fabregas I think will improve and Spain have managed success without a real center forward.
Villa replaced Raul’s goals so is now up to either Soldado or Negredo to fill in until Morata develops but my guess is the ‘shadow’ forward so neither will likely get that chance. :)
Nick Sundin
12 сентября, 2013 at 16:19
Funny the next David Villa should be called Paco, I had a regen called Paco this year who was a ST/AML, Spanish, and beast :)
Ana Garcia
16 сентября, 2013 at 11:15
Glad you managed to find the new David Villa! :)
pedro fontan
13 сентября, 2013 at 16:39
Another great article Ana!!!; Really enjoyable read
I have to say the history of Spanish football is one with a bright future as you pointed out. But this can only happen if the clubs invest in promoting these talents. You mentioned Inigo Martinez who to me is exactly what a centre back should be, hard working, dedicated, good at tackling and brave. But I think you said something very right. I think if he had come through from Real Or Valencia he would not have had ad many opportunities to be a key player . One player you mentioned who I really like is Hugo Mallo. I have always liked Celta (from the days the day they had Mostovoi and Karpin who I loved watching those crazy Russians :D) so to see them invest in their youth is very good. Shame Aspas had to leave but was inevitable. I wish we could say that the future is as bright in Portugal but unfortunately our clubs prefer to spend big money abroad rather than develop our own. And even though I hate Sporting CP I admire them for developing their young talented players
Oh and by the way that is the proper Iberian way to celebrate anything. No glasses. Although I prefer beer ;)
Ana Garcia
16 сентября, 2013 at 11:23
Thanks Pedro, am really glad you enjoyed reading it. :)
Is true, maybe if things had been different with money these players would be forgotten. However I guess teams have seen this as the best way forward as we cant afford to buy players and wages so to find your own players in the youth system is so cost effective.
Look as Navas, Illarramendi Javi Martinez etc All through academies and then all sold for huge profit to help produce the next generation of Spanish players I guess the relaxed transfer rules in Portugal make it easier to sign foreign talent than produce home grown which is a shame.
Ha! The best way to drink! But beer tastes bad and makes you fat, red wine is much better for you! ;)
Chai Chien Liang
30 сентября, 2013 at 04:16
Great article Ana, but somehow I think you forgot to mention the goalkeepers! You know, like David De Gea (I don’t know if Asenjo is considered young now considering that he is 24!) though apart from them I do not really hear many names for goalkeepers (which is not too bad considering you only need one or two really :P)
I would like to mention Moi Gomez from Villareal too, he looks like a future world beater!
Ana Garcia
8 ноября, 2013 at 19:08
Oh sorry missed your reply, my apologies!
True! Is so many names I could mention but still with Casillas, Valdes , and Reina with De Gea is the next main goalkeeper I agree.
Asenjo was a talent but it seems his career has turned a little down to injury but still has some time, look at Diego Lopez! :)